


What do you Get Jade for Christmas?

by darkangelmya



Series: Reflections Side Stories [4]
Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Full Game Spoilers, Gen, Pairings play minor role, but they are there, reflections
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 10:17:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15884034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkangelmya/pseuds/darkangelmya
Summary: AU. Based on Reflections. When Christmas comes around, getting everyone presents is just too impractical. Drawing names is a much better idea... right?





	1. Part 1

Snow fell gently, the soft white flakes tangling themselves in strands of golden red hair as the young noble walked down one of Keterburg's many streets. Perhaps 'walked' wasn't the proper term though; it would be more accurate to say Luke was bouncing down the road, the cloudy skies and cold wind doing nothing to abate the spring in his step or the sudden burst of energy he had. It left his counterpart to wonder just what had Luke in such a wonderful mood. Then, exactly what day it was, or rather, what time of year it was, dawned upon him, and Asch really couldn't resist a smile. Some things in life he could count upon to never change: Luke and Christmas was one of them.

"Easy there, Luke," Guy finally intervened when Luke's energy had placed him well in front of his companions. "Wait for the rest of us."

"Sorry," Luke spun around, flashing an apologetic smile, but really not doing anything to slow his pace.

"What has you in such a good mood?" Anise asked sceptically.

"Well, it's going to be Christmas in a week," the younger redhead explained. "And since we're going to be in Keterburg anyway, I was thinking we could do something to celebrate."

"You mean like a tree and presents and such?" Anise asked.

"Well... yeah, I mean, it's Christmas."

"Come on, Luke, no way is that going to happen!" Anise protested.

"I don't see the problem," Jade shrugged. "As Luke pointed out, we're here for the duration regardless. Christmas is a popular time of year for tourists in Keterburg, I'm sure there won't be a lack of festivities."

If possible, Luke's smile broadened, and his eyes were alight with excitement. Then again, what did they expect? He  _was_  a seven year old. Anise just didn't get what the big deal was.

"Still," Tear pondered. "I think it's a bit excessive for everyone to get a present for everyone else, especially given the travelling we're doing."

"She's got a point; that would make for 72 presents," Ginji added doing some quick mental math. "There's really only so much room in the Albiore, and most of it is used for supplies and everyone's stuff."

"Well then, why not draw names?" Guy suggested. "If we do a gift exchange, everyone gets and buys one present."

"Why not make it more fun than that?" Asch added with a smirk.

"Do explain." Jade adjusted his glasses, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Well, everyone draws a name, and buys that person a present for Christmas," Asch provided. "But, you can't let that person know you have their name. Then, once they open it, they have to guess who it came from."

"Oh I know that game," Anise cut in. "The acolytes and the Oracle Knights play it all the time in Daath."

"I think that would be fun!" Ginji agreed. "It'll be more challenging that way since you can't ask the person what they want. You have to go based on what you already know."

"Great," Anise rolled her eyes.

"I'm all for it," Guy spoke up.

"Me too!" Luke eagerly added. Everyone nodded in agreement with varying degrees of excitement, save the former Fon Master Guardian. She didn't seem like she planned on telling them why, but she agreed to participate too, so no one prodded any further.

In almost no time at all, they'd managed to get everyone's names on nine pieces of paper and procured an empty sac. Luke bounced eagerly in anticipation as the bag was passed around and everyone drew a piece of paper from it. When his turn came, Luke stuck his hand in the sack, a huge grin plastered on his face. Oh please let it be who he was hoping for...

"All right!" Luke cheered, before realizing his gloating victory was probably giving his secret away, but even as he shrugged apologetically, he could feel the glee well up inside of him. He had really hoped to get Tear! Though Luke would have been just as happy with Asch or Guy, he wanted the chance to get his friend something special. That was why he had been hoping they would do presents in the first place.

"No fair!" Anise protested, holding out the paper she'd drawn. "I picked my own name!"

"Now what?" Guy asked.

"We'll just have to draw again," Asch said simply. "Even if someone traded with her, we'd know who has Anise's name and that's not fair."

No... Luke sighed in defeat and watched disappointedly as all the names disappeared back into the bag and it was passed around yet again. What were the odds his luck would hold strong the second time around? Luke drew the second name and carefully opened the paper. Not good, his luck wasn't nearly as consistent as he would have hoped. Not only was it not Tear... this one... might be a bit more difficult.

"What?" Anise's voice almost went up an octave when she saw the name she'd drawn and Luke cringed as if Mieu had just yelled in his ear. "No way! Not happening. We have to draw again."

"Did you draw your own name?" Jade inquired. Man... Asch really pitied the person who had to try and keep a secret from him. The redhead didn't doubt the oh-so-clever Colonel would know exactly who was buying for whom by the next day. A dangerous gleam shone in Jade's eye. Scratch that... he'd know by tonight.

"No, but still!" Anise protested.

"Then everyone's good," Asch concluded. The others all nodded, declaring that no one had picked themselves this time around.

"This is so not fair," Anise grumbled. Asch watched the dark haired girl with something akin to intrigue. Though he had a pretty good idea of whose name she must have drawn, her reaction seemed to belie some other issue that was bothering her.

"You have to admit, shopping will be quite the challenge. Keterburg doesn't have the best options, and the chances of us crossing paths in the process are quite good," Natalia pointed out, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over everyone. It seemed as if they were all wearily eying each other, trying to gauge who had whom, and what they could possibly get their person for Christmas.

"That's no problem at all," Ginji answered cheerfully. "It's only a few hours to Grand Chokmah in the Albiore; if you guys want, tomorrow we can all go shopping for the day there."

"That would work," Natalia agreed.

"We should probably set off early to make the most of it," Guy pondered. He looked down at the name he'd drawn again and sighed. Grand Chokmah or not, he had a feeling he was going to lose at this little game of Asch's. He didn't have the first clue what to get, and he could only wonder how long he could go before he broke down and asked them what they wanted. There was nothing worse than having to buy for someone fussy.

"Well then, let's meet up first thing in the morning," the silver haired pilot suggested. "That should hopefully give everyone enough time, and it's not a big deal if we run a little late. This is going to be fun!"

"I can't believe we're seriously doing this," Anise groaned under her breath.

"You've seemed rather bitter ever since the subject of Christmas came up," Natalia pointed out with a pointed look at the former Fon Master Guardian. "Is there some reason you're so opposed to celebrating the holidays with the rest of us?" Everyone's attention fell on Anise who almost squirmed uncomfortably under the mixture of looks they were giving her.

"She does have a point," Ion spoke up. "Do you not like Christmas, Anise?" The dark haired girl in question tensed; they all knew she could never just ignore a question from Ion.

"Yeah! I hate Christmas, okay?" Anise burst out. "So stop looking at me like that! I don't like Christmas; I never have, and I never will. I'll play your stupid game, but don't expect anything more than that!"

"You... hate Christmas?" Luke asked, almost in disbelief. The sheer concept of it just didn't register. Christmas was such a special time of year... how could anyone  _hate_  it?

"Is there an echo out here?" Anise glared at Luke.

"Come on, Anise," Tear intervened. "There's no reason for you to be rude about it."

"It's such a wonderful holiday. May I ask why you dislike celebrating Christmas?" Ion inquired.

"I've always hated Christmas," Anise replied bitterly. "My parents have always been so poor that we've never had any kind of celebration. Then, they started working for the Order, and we had absolutely nothing. I never got a single present, not once! Everyone else in Daath knew damn well I never got anything and spent all day rubbing their stupid presents in my face. As if I hadn't noticed they got everything they asked for while I had nothing."

"But what about your parents?" Natalia asked. "Surely you spent the holidays with them."

"Yeah, so what? All they ever did was put up this pathetic looking twig they called a tree. They said 'we should be grateful for another year of blessings,' and crap like that. We weren't blessed; we didn't have anything! Every year they'd give me a candy cane or something ridiculous before hauling me off to help set up someone else's Christmas celebration in the chapel, as if it made our lives any better. I hated it! It was so pathetic!"

Anise watched the group before her, waiting for their judgements. They would come, they always did whenever she voiced her thoughts on the so-called holiday. No one could ever accept that she didn't enjoy it. Why? Why did she have to like it just because everyone else did? Asch was the first, his eyes fixed on her, and behind them there was a flare of anger. Before she could demand what his issue was, the redhead spun around and stormed off. Well, if he was going to be like that, then screw him. She didn't give a damn if he didn't like the fact she hated Christmas; some spoiled rich kid had no idea the crap she had deal with on a yearly basis, and he was in no position to judge her!

"Jeez, what's  _his_  problem?" Anise asked, looking to his younger brother for a response, but Luke wasn't paying attention; he seemed much more interested in the snow sitting by his feet. Unlike his sibling, he seemed upset by something. Luke looked up at Anise. Scratch that, he was definitely upset about something. What?  _Both_ of them now? Why couldn't they just accept that she didn't like the holidays the way they did? Anise rolled her eyes. This was working itself up to be another  _great_  Christmas.

Luke turned around and followed his brother, his pace quickening to a jog after a few steps. He hadn't even thought about it until Anise started talking... and now that it had hit him, it was tying his stomach into knots.

"Perhaps I should go see what the matter is," Tear suggested before taking off after her companion.

"What's with Luke?" Anise wondered, slightly less sceptically than before. "Wasn't he the one who was all for this in the first place?"

"He probably just realized that he isn't going to be home for Christmas," Guy replied with a worried look of his own following his best friend. "It'll be a first for him."

"Is that all? It's no different than any other day he's not home. We'll be going to Baticul again eventually, he should just suck it up and-"

Natalia's hand struck Anise across the face, cutting off the girl's snide remark.

"I don't know what Christmas may have been like for you in Daath, and I honestly no longer care," Natalia declared, all the while staring disapprovingly at the fuming former Fon Master Guardian. "But Christmas, for them, has always been a time that they both treasure. Maybe you don't value Christmas, but have some respect for the people who do! If you'd stop wallowing in your own self-pity, you'd realize you have far more than you seem to believe. Asch would have given  _anything_  to spend Christmas with both his parents!"

Natalia cut herself off; she'd clearly said more than she felt she should have. With one final glare, she turned around and followed her fiancé down the road towards the Inn. Jade, Ginji, and Ion all followed her, unsure what to say to the furious dark haired girl before them.

"What the hell is everyone's problem?" Anise demanded to no one in particular.

"You know..." Guy spoke up, surprising Anise who thought he'd left with the others. "You're probably the only one who got the chance to spend Christmas with your whole family."

"What?" Anise asked sceptically, if only to hide the fact that Guy's comment put a small pit in her stomach. Wait a second! What did she have to feel guilty for?

"Well... think about it. Ion doesn't have any parents; Tear's and Jade's and my parents are all dead; and Natalia's mother died when she was baby. I'm not going to say anything since how you feel about things is entirely your choice, but you should be careful what you take for granted. Because..." Guy looked up at the cloud covered sky, a solemn smile gracing his face as snow continued to fall.

"What means nothing to you... might mean the world and more to someone else."

* * *

Luke walked aimlessly down the white marble streets of Malkuth's capital. Christmas shopping for a certain someone was one thing, but doing it in the middle of Grand Chokmah's summer was another. It was just so hard to get into the swing of things when it was warm enough to go around in short sleeves, even if the streets and shops were all decorated. Luke stopped and smiled, unable to suppress a small amount of laughter at the birds that were taking up residence in the park's large Christmas tree. It was really amazing, the assortment of silver and blue decorations complementing the already beautiful city in a splash of colours that couldn't help but put him in a good mood.

Still, it left Luke without a present and without any particularly good ideas. This was proving to be a lot harder than he thought it would be. All the possible ideas that he'd come up with as he'd fallen asleep the night before fled him as he wandered among the shops and he was right back at square one. Well, he wasn't going to get anywhere just walking in circles, he might as well browse and see if anything planned on jumping out at him.

Luke opened the door to a shop that had particularly impressive Christmas decorations in the window. Not that he was looking for Christmas decorations, but the festivity of the place drew his attention. It seemed like a nice enough shop; there was a variety of products on many well-kept shelves and the decorations outside continued throughout the interior. It had a nice, quaint feel, but Luke wondered if he could find anything of interest.

The young noble turned the corner into one of the aisles and froze, finding himself face to face with his older brother. Neither of them said a word, their green eyes both full of suspicion as they stared each other down. The tension broke as they both gave in to the grins that pulled at their lips; they didn't have each other's names.

"How are you making out?" Luke asked, the grin still on his face.

"Not very well," Asch admitted with a chuckle. "At least I'm not like Anise and stuck with Jade. She must be having a blast." The older sibling rolled his eyes but was clearly amused at the idea of having to shop for the Colonel. "I mean, what do you get Jade for Christmas?"

"That's a good question," Luke snickered. "What  _do_  you get Jade for Christmas?"

"One of his own books," Asch declared matter-of-factly and both siblings started laughing. "No," Asch managed after getting his laughter under control. "I have Tear, and I have no idea what to get her."

"Awww, you're lucky. If you want I'll trade names with you," the younger redhead offered.

"Don't worry about it, I'll figure something out," Asch replied and Luke did his utmost to hide his dismay. He really wanted to buy for Tear... Part of him wondered if Asch knew that hadn't been his intent from the start, but was just trying to make this game harder for him. But whether Asch was playing with him or not, the two of them browsed together for awhile, checking out various items and chatting about little things, previous Christmas adventures, all sorts of stuff. Luke couldn't help but laugh at some of Asch's stories. He had no idea some of the things his sibling had gone through to get him Christmas gifts.

Yet, Luke found that the more they talked, the more an invisible weight began to press down on him. The funny stories suddenly weren't any more, and Luke was finding it harder and harder to smile in return. Asch stopped in the middle of the aisle and Luke instinctively stopped beside him; it was obvious what was going on.

"Feeling homesick?" Asch finally asked when it was clear Luke didn't plan on divulging anything.

"I think so..." Luke said hesitantly. "It's just, every time I start to think about Christmas, I remember that we won't be decorating the tree in the drawing room, and that Mother won't be here, and..." Luke trailed off, unable to continue.

"If it's bothering you that much, why not try writing a letter to Mother?" Asch suggested. "You can wish her a Merry Christmas, and it might help you settle your feelings a bit."

Luke thought on it a moment. "That's a good idea," he said with a smile. "I'll try that."

"Good plan," Asch grinned mischievously. "But in the meantime, we have presents to find."

"Asch!" Both redheads turned at the familiar voice and saw Anise running down the aisle. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Hey Anise," Asch greeted the young girl who was catching her breath. "What has you looking for me?"

"It's not me," Anise finally replied. "Ion asked me to find you. He says he wants to talk to you about something. I think he's looking for present ideas for Natalia."

"Hmmm," Asch pondered the matter for minute.

"If you're busy I can pass the message on to him," Anise offered.

"No, it's okay," Asch answered. "I don't think I'm going to find anything here anyway."

"You at a loss for ideas too?" the former Fon Master Guardian inquired.

"Yeah, kind of," Asch replied. "I'll see you later, Luke," he called back as Anise began to lead him away.

"Hey Luke, are you leaving soon?" Anise asked.

"I think I'll look a bit longer," the redhead replied with a smile.

"Okay, I want to talk to you, so I'll be right back."

"Looks like you're not the only one in need of ideas," Luke commented with a smirk.

"Shut up." Asch waved back.

"Something cute!" Luke yelled after his brother.

'Something cute... really?'

'Definitely,' the younger redhead provided with an amazing amount of conviction.

'...Seriously?'

'If you have to ask me that, you are denser than Anise and Ion.'

'Oh look who's talking,' Asch shot back.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Nothing...' Asch's reply carried the echoes of laughter and Luke could hear Asch pondering the 'something cute' option aloud.

"So you have Tear, huh?" It was Luke's turn to laugh when he heard Anise's reply through his sibling and Asch promptly shut Luke out in protest.

The younger redhead chuckled and returned to browsing the shop's wares. There really wasn't anything here that suited his purpose but Anise said she'd return and he decided not to make her track him down again since she'd gone through the effort of finding them in the first place. He wondered what Anise could possibly want to talk to him about; after all, he wasn't exactly the person to come to for help with ideas.

At least she seemed to be in a much better mood than the previous day. It left Luke curious as to whether she'd meant the things she'd said, or whether she'd just been having a bad day, perpetuated by the frustration of drawing the name she had. It was something Luke didn't think he'd ask her, a can of worms best left unopened. He didn't want to ruin her improved mood and to be honest, he wasn't the person to help her sort out her feelings on the subject. He just couldn't wrap his head around the concept... how could anyone  _hate_  Christmas?

"Thanks for waiting," Anise's voice caught the young noble's attention and he smiled.

"That obvious?"

"Well, unless you were planning on finding something on the floor, then yes." Luke laughed, and Anise couldn't resist a smile. "You want to chat outside?"

"Sure."

The weather, if possible, had gotten even warmer while Luke had been inside and he couldn't believe he was seriously considering abandoning his jacket. It was messing with his head to have such warm weather, especially when the nearby Keterburg was still covered in snow. Apparently, according to Nephry, the snow melted for a month or so at the peak of summer, which tended to fall about a month after the holidays, but Luke wouldn't believe her until he saw it. It was just impossible to imagine the small northern town without a blanket of snow.

"So!" Anise broke the silence between them. "Do you want to trade names for the gift exchange?"

Luke grinned, "No thanks, I'll make do with who I have."

"Damn!" Anise pouted. "I don't get it! I can't get anyone to trade with me! Ugh, this is so stupid," she grumbled.

Luke sighed sadly; he had decided not to ask but...

"What's that look all about?" Anise asked noticing the serious air that fell over Luke.

"Do you really hate Christmas that much?" the redhead hesitantly asked.

"Look, I'm sorry if I pissed you off the other day," Anise replied, "but Christmas wasn't the same for me as it was for you. I mean, what was Christmas like at your place?"

"For us?"

"Yeah," Anise replied, though she wondered if she even wanted to hear it. She knew pretty damn well what was coming, after all, Luke and Asch were both about as rich as you got without being... well Natalia. They probably had all kinds of expensive gifts and lavish parties, stuff she could only ever dream about. But it was because of that she could point out just how much better their Christmas always was, and maybe she could get them to understand that not everyone was as lucky as they were.

"Well, Christmas was usually pretty quiet at the manor," Luke began. "As long as I can remember Father has never been around. He always has some kind of work or other business to attend to; most of the time he isn't even in Baticul for the holidays. I didn't mind much, maybe because I didn't know what it was like for him to actually be there, but it always upset Asch. Some years Mother was stuck in bed and was too sick to celebrate with us. I still remember one Christmas we tried to get the tree into her bedroom so we could celebrate together." Luke smiled fondly hinting that those endeavours didn't go nearly as smoothly as they should have. "My favourite part was always Christmas supper, the chef would work extra hard to make this huge feast. I always felt really bad; they put in so much work and made so much food, but it was really only Asch and I who got to enjoy it. Since Mother and Father weren't there Guy and some of the other servants would sit with us and we had a really good time."

"And?" Anise prodded when Luke stopped talking.

"And...what? That's really about all. We weren't allowed outside Baticul so we never visited any relatives during the holidays other than Natalia and Uncle, but they had their own celebrations so they usually didn't spend Christmas day with us. Besides... back then things between Natalia and I got pretty awkward."

"No, I mean, didn't you guys get any presents or anything?"

"Well, yeah, and the presents were nice, but they're hardly the point. Presents are just something special we give each other to say thank you for all the special times we spent together in the past year. It's a reminder that we're lucky to have each other and we're lucky to be together-"

"You're so naive!" Anise shouted, her voice laced with frustration, cutting off her companion's statement. Luke looked at her in shock at her sudden change of temperament. She turned to face him, and her brown eyes burned in the anger that flushed her cheeks. "You're so stupid, and such an idiot!" She yelled before turning in the other direction and stomping off.

Anise could feel Luke's confused and hurt gaze follow her. It didn't take half a block before she started to feel bad about the way she'd snapped at him. What did he know? Luke was just some spoiled rich kid whose head was full of a bunch of idealistic crap. She just had to get out of there; she had to escape, but no matter how far Anise fled, she couldn't outrun her thoughts... or her tugging conscience. Tears of frustration began to well up in her eyes.

Because if Luke and Asch were the spoiled ones, then how come talking to them always made her feel so damn selfish?

* * *

The sun was slowly lowering towards the horizon, its light dancing off the water that was ever present in the floating city. The golden sky was only interrupted by the outline of a Christmas tree, tall and full of colourful decorations whose colours were lost in the shadows of the setting sun. Soon the lights would be lit and rescue the tree's beauty, but even immersed in shadows, it was undoubtedly beautiful. Peony did an amazing job decorating his city and Asch vaguely wondered how much Nephry liked Christmas and how much that played into the ruler's endeavours.

Now, if only Baticul was this beautiful come Christmas time. While the southern city was lucky enough to get snow, Kimlasca's capital was only ever sparsely decorated at best, and the spirit of the holidays was never abound as it seemed to be here. Asch wished it was. He loved the feel in the air, the excitement and joy that seemed to have consumed everyone he passed by. Everyone seemed so happy and full of cheer. Maybe if Baticul was like this... then his father wouldn't have been so eager to escape it every year. But it wasn't really Baticul that the absent Duke was fleeing from, Asch knew that. His father had spent all those years escaping his obligations, using responsibilities as an excuse, just so he wouldn't have to spend time with his family... so he wouldn't have to spend time with Asch.

> " _Luke, what's the matter?" Lady Susanne knelt down and held her crying four year old. He sobbed in her arms as she picked him up. Score he was growing up; she barely had the strength to carry him. Her little Luke was getting so big so fast! Susanne smiled fondly, sitting in a chair and gently rocking him in her arms._
> 
> " _Come now, it's Christmas morning," she said softly when his sobs wouldn't abate. "You shouldn't be sad, it's time to open presents."_
> 
> " _But daddy isn't here!" the little redhead managed between sobs, tears still leaking down his cheeks and staining his mother's shoulder. "Daddy said he'd be here! He promised he'd be here for Christmas!" Luke's sobbing began with renewed intensity, and he clutched his mother even tighter than before. "He pinky promised!"_
> 
> " _Oh, sweetie," Susanne began softly, continuing to rock him and comfortingly rub his back. "Your daddy is a very important man. He has important things that only he can do, so he can't be here even though he wants to be," she said as she stroked Luke's hair._
> 
> " _That's not true! He said he would come!"_
> 
> " _Come now, Luke... dry those tears. You have lots of presents to open."_
> 
> " _I don't want presents! I want daddy to be here! He_ promised! _" The little boy continued to cry in his mother's arms. "He... he promised..."_

"Hey there," the voice broke Asch from his train of thought, and he looked up to see Anise staring at him curiously.

"Hey Anise," Asch replied, offering her the spot on the bench next to him. The former Fon Master Guardian sat down, and both of them watched people strolling through the park in silence.

"So!" Anise piped up with all the cheer she could muster. Something about the mood Asch was in was seriously dragging her down. "Do you want to trade names for the gift exchange?"

Asch smiled, "Sorry, you're too late."

"Damn," Anise grumbled in defeat noticing the package sitting near Asch's feet. "I've got no luck at all."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll come up with  _something_ ," Asch taunted.

"You're just getting back at me for yesterday, aren't you?" Anise shot back, but when Asch grew solemn, she regretted her jab. The two of them sat in awkward silence, watching the sun set. It was just... she didn't get it! Why did just being around them make her feel so guilty? It wasn't like she  _meant_  to be a total jerk about it. How could she have known Christmas was so special to them? They who loved to spend it with their family and...

"I'm sorry," Anise finally said, destroying the stillness that had captivated the both of them.

"What for?" Asch asked, his own voice unusually quiet and serious.

"I'm sorry for all that stuff I said yesterday. I didn't think I would actually hurt your feelings."

"It's okay," the redhead replied with a sad smile. His emerald eyes were piercing and Anise didn't doubt he saw right through her. "You miss them don't you?"

Anise could only nod in reply, not trusting that she could gather her feelings that quickly. How? How could Asch possibly know that? He'd hit the nail clear on the head and it shattered the front she had spent the last few days building up.

"It was all so stupid!" Anise protested. Her eyes were stinging, but there was no way she was going to cry, least of all in front of Asch. "It started when I was little. All I ever wanted was this set of silly hair barrettes. You know, the kind that have the little glass beads on the end."

"No, I can't say I do know," Asch answered with a chuckle, and Anise secretly thanked him for making this easier.

"Well, being a boy, you probably wouldn't know, but they were  _really_  popular back in the day. All the girls wanted some. It had something to do with the heroine of some stupid kid's book or something. I didn't care about any of that, I wanted them because they were pretty. The beads had pink flowers in them, and they were really hard to make, so you can imagine, they were even harder to come by. It's all I ever asked for, year after year, but our family had no money, and they never got me any presents. Every year I asked, and every year I'd get the same dumb old candy cane on Christmas morning. As the years went by, people stopped making them; they got really rare and now you can't even get them anymore, so I stopped thinking about it."

Anise paused, and Asch waited in silence for her to continue. He knew the look on Anise's face and he was more than familiar with the emotions she must be going through. After all, to tell a story, was to sort through all the feelings that came with it, and he knew full well that it took more than two barrettes to put Anise on the verge of tears.

"Then last year, Maestro Tritheim somehow got a set. He knew I'd always wanted some, and he felt bad for me 'cause I never got anything for Christmas, so he gave them to my dad to give me. I found out because one of the acolytes overheard them talking and was making fun of me, but I didn't care! I was so excited and so happy that I was going to get a real present for the very first time! But then I walked into the chapel and saw him! I saw my dad giving them away to some random girl he didn't even know!"

"Anise..."

"So on Christmas morning, when they gave me my candy cane, you know what I did?" Anise asked, tears now visibly threatening to spill over down her cheeks. "I told them to shove it, and that I hated them! I threw the candy cane at my dad, stormed out, and didn't talk to them for days. How was I supposed to know? How should I have known that was the last Christmas we'd ever spend together?" The dark haired girl couldn't hold back her feelings any longer, and Asch placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "That's why I hate Christmas! It's not fair! I don't care about the stupid barrettes! I want our Christmases back! I want to see them and their stupid smiles wishing me a Merry Christmas and dragging me out help with the celebrations. I want us to spend it together again!"

Anise collapsed into Asch's gesture, hiding her tears as she buried her face in his jacket. The redhead put an arm comfortingly around her, his silence doing more to comfort her than any words he could possibly offer. He knew where she was coming from, and that's why he knew any thing he said would be meaningless. Words can't give back the people you've lost.

"You think I'm selfish... don't you?" Anise managed.

"No," Asch replied solemnly. "I think it's perfectly normal."

The last of the sun's light faded from the horizon and Asch's whisper was carried off on the cool night breeze.

"You never realize the value of what you have... until you've lost it."


	2. Part 2

Keterburg's largest Inn was easily one of the most luxurious in Malkuth, if not all of Auldrant. Even excluding the world renowned spa that had been built on the very top floor, the hotel was nothing short of amazing and while Asch definitely enjoyed staying here when they visited the snowy town, he had a feeling the hotel's staff didn't share the feeling. While they were more than content to split three rooms between the nine of them as they usually did, every time they were here, Nephry always went ahead of them and booked an entire wing, including the private lounge, not leaving a whole lot of room for other guests.

The private lounge, which was exactly where Asch found himself this morning, was a very nice room and was amazingly well-suited for the purposes to which they'd assigned it over the past week. A fire crackled away in the large fireplace, chasing off the cold that may have slipped in from the snowy outdoors. It created a soft glow that reverberated off the mahogany walls and the Christmas tree that stood in the corner surrounded by several chairs, a couch and a love seat. Though most of the fire's glow was lost to the morning light that filtered through the window, Asch kept it going none-the-less. It would just seem wrong not to have a good fire going on Christmas Eve, and it sort of reminded him of home. There had always been a roaring fire in the drawing room all through the holiday season; so maybe the familiarity would make Luke feel a little better.

Even though his little brother had written a letter home, he still felt homesick, and in spite of his best attempts to hide it, Asch could still see some of Luke's cheer die when something reminded him of their years in Baticul. He was trying, but there was still that little part of him that couldn't be as excited as Asch knew he should be. Asch wished there was something he could do, but even if he did know what he could offer, it wasn't going to change the fact that they wouldn't be home for Christmas. Asch smiled sadly; maybe he should put the fire out.

"Hey Asch," Anise walked in through one of the doors and found the redhead on a chair doing something or another to the second entrance. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Good morning, Anise," Asch replied, and with a mischievous grin leaned over to reveal a sprig of green leaves and white berries he was hanging up.

"What is that?"

"It's mistletoe," Asch explained, finished securing it, and hopped down off the chair.

"Really?" Anise asked excitedly, her eyes gleaming with delight. "That's the one where you have to kiss if you're standing underneath it, right?"

"That's right." Asch nodded, unable to wipe the smirk from his face. "I picked some up while we were in Grand Chokmah. I thought it would make things a little more fun."

Anise giggled evilly, sitting herself down on the love seat that faced the door, "I wonder who you're going to trap!"

Asch sat down next to the former Fon Master Guardian and watched as she eagerly anticipated who would be the first to walk through the entrance. With that look in her eyes, she was already scheming ways to get them under the mistletoe. The young monarch couldn't help but smile at her excitement; it was nice to see her in a better mood.

Ever since their trip to Grand Chokmah, Anise had been doing her best to try to get into the spirit of the holidays. There were times when she'd slip and a little bitterness came through, but everyone was supportive, and she was having a very good time. Now she was almost as excited for tomorrow as Luke was. Well speak of the devil...

"Good morning guys!" Luke said cheerfully as he walked into the lounge. The young noble unknowingly stopped right under the mistletoe, staring curiously at the evil grins he was getting. Oh this was good... and it was about to get a whole lot better.

"Good morning, Luke," Tear smiled, walking in right after her companion but stopping to try and figure out what had his attention. Both of them stood dumbfounded as Anise almost squeaked in delight. Asch was snickering and had a dangerously amused look on his face. Luke knew that look, and nothing good had  _ever_  come out of it.

"And what's going on in here that has the two of you so amused?" Jade asked, his query directed at the snickering pair on the couch. The Malkuth Colonel had entered behind Luke and Tear but was unable to make it in the lounge with his two companions blocking the way.

Anise was absolutely exuberant, her eyes dancing in impish delight, and the scary part was Asch seemed almost as amused. Just what kind of inside joke did those two have going? And why was their delight aimed directly at her, Luke and Jade?

"How does it work with three?" Anise excitedly asked the older redhead.

"Well they  _could_  share," Asch suggested. "Or they could rock-paper-scissors for it."

"What are the two of you going on about?" Luke finally asked in sheer frustration at being left out of whatever was so funny.

Asch's eyes met his siblings, a mischievous fire dancing behind them. He pointed up.

'Oh you stupid jerk!' Luke erupted, his face turning several shades of red upon noticing the small white berries. Luke would never forget the year his mom had trapped him and Natalia under a sprig of the stuff, and this time it was- it was- Tear! Luke felt his face go even redder.

Asch watched on with unsurpassed levels of amusement rising in him as Luke and Tear both went as red as his sibling's hair. He couldn't deny being pleased with the results, he had  _so_  hoped to trap Luke and Tear under it. It was understandable that in some relationships, people needed a little nudge in the right direction, but those two seriously needed a swift kick to get them moving.

"Well," Asch declared, "all three of you are under the mistletoe, so either Luke and Jade can each take turns or you can fight for it; but someone has to kiss Tear."

"Wh-what?" Tear flushed. "Why?"

"Because you're under the mistletoe!" Anise said proudly. "It's tradition!"

"Mistletoe?" Jade spoke up. "What mistletoe?"

Luke looked up again and sidestepped just in time to dodge the burning pile of sticks that fell to the ground. It was Luke's turn to grin. He so loved having Jade on his side.

Asch glared at the Colonel simultaneously furious at the old man for ruining his fun, and curious as to when he'd managed to cast the arte that set the mistletoe on fire. Damn it all! He'd been so close!

"Really now," Jade said with a smirk, "before you play around with others, you ought to be more attentive of your own surroundings."

With nothing short of a malicious grin the Colonel pointed upwards.

Asch and Anise both looked up, only to see a second sprig of mistletoe hanging above the couch where the two of them were sitting. When had Jade hung-? If looks could kill... well they probably wouldn't have killed Jade, but things would have died.

"Absolutely not!" Anise violently protested. "Not happening, no way! I am not kissing him!"

"Same here," Asch refused.

"Come now Asch," Natalia spoke up from where she'd been watching from the sidelines. Admittedly, when she had walked in from the other entrance, she was curious to see what Jade would do when caught under mistletoe, but things had turned out so much better than she was expecting. "Be a good sport about it. Jade caught you fair and square."

Asch grumbled in defeat and, to his dismay, was forced to give the former Fon Master Guardian a peck on the cheek. The two of them immediately got up off the couch and sat as far apart from each other as was humanly possible while everyone else watched on in stitches.

Once the laughter had finally abated, everyone found themselves a spot, being careful to avoid the fateful couch above which Jade had hung the mistletoe, and friendly conversation quickly erupted. Asch and Anise both joined in once the conversation got off the topic of their abysmal defeat.

"If you don't mind my asking," Natalia began, "where did you get ahold of mistletoe?"

"I picked it up in Grand Chokmah," Asch shrugged. "They had it all over the place."

"That's strange," Tear contributed. "If I recall correctly, mistletoe is native to the areas near Kaitzur. It's surprising that it would be so readily available this far north."

"I believe we've a certain devious ruler to thank for that," Jade provided, adjusting his glasses. "Emperor Peony was always quite the fan of the mistletoe tradition and as such usually brings in large amounts of the plant for the holidays. Several sprigs are often hung throughout the palace so one must be wary this time of year." Asch snickered, wondering why that was something Jade deemed worthy to mention, and who Peony had forced him to kiss.

"I guess it's a good thing we're not spending Christmas in Grand Chokmah then," Tear stated, her cheeks still flushing at the memory of her almost embarrassing encounter. She made a mental note to keep a wary eye out for any more of Asch's traps.

"Yeah, but it's great for shopping," Luke pitched in, having eventually found what he deemed a worthy Christmas present... even if he had cheated a little bit.

"Yes well, not all of us were quite so fortunate," Natalia commented.

"Oh that's right, you couldn't find anything, could you?"

"Men are ridiculously difficult to buy for," the young princess grumbled.

"You  _do_  realize it's Christmas Eve, right?" Anise taunted.

"I'm going out shopping with Ion later," Natalia shot back. She raised an eyebrow at the former Fon Master Guardian, "I didn't see you return from Grand Chokmah with anything either."

"Shut up! My person is unbelievably hard to buy for! I'll figure something out, just you wait!"

"Well, as you said, it  _is_  Christmas Eve," Natalia retorted tauntingly. Anise stuck her tongue out.

"Hey, guys!" Guy said, walking in from the far entrance with Ion in tow.

"Natalia, are you ready to go?" Ion inquired. "Ginji is waiting."

"Ginji? Where are you off to?" Asch asked.

"Don't worry, he simply asked to accompany us; we aren't going far," Natalia replied with a smile. "Yes, I'll be right there," she called to the Fon Master who was patiently waiting by the door. Guy nodded to Ion as if confirming something that passed between the two of them, and proceeded to join the others. In his hand he held some kind of brown package; and rather than take a seat, he remained standing, leaning forward against the only empty sofa.

"Uh... Guy," Luke began hesitantly as Asch erupted into evil snickers next to him. "I wouldn't stand there if I were you..."

"Huh?" Guy looked at his best friend confusedly. "Why not?"

Luke pointed up, and everyone laughed; they could see the colour drain from his face as he realized what was hanging above him. Fraught with panic, Guy looked around him only to find Natalia a foot away, passing by him as she made her way over to join the Fon Master.

"Oh dear sweet Yulia, no!" Guy frantically retreated to the opposite end of the room. Everyone erupted into more laughter, their mirth filling the room and warming it like the steadily crackling fire.

"Don't worry, Guy," Natalia managed once she'd gotten her giggling under control. "We won't hold you to it; it would be a shame to put you into heart failure the day before Christmas."

"Th-Thanks..." Guy managed, his heart still beating way too fast to be healthy. Give it another couple seconds and he might even be able to start breathing again.

"Hey Guy?" Luke asked once Natalia and Ion had left and everyone had settled down again. "What do you have there?"

"Oh, this?" Guy held up the package, clearly having forgotten about it in the light of his latest heart attack. "It's addressed to you; I think it's from your mom." The blond handed his best friend the box and the smile that spread across Luke's face confirmed the sender.

Everyone curiously watched on as Luke carefully unwrapped the brown paper and opened the box he found inside. A soft smile spread across his face and Luke lifted a single golden Christmas bulb out of the box. There must have been some sort of unspoken joke behind it because Asch chuckled at the sight. The older sibling accepted the simple ornament from Luke and hung it on the nearby tree, the gold ball standing out against the silver and blue ornaments that otherwise hung there.

The next thing Luke removed from the box was an envelope, which contained a letter from his mother. He unfolded the paper, smiling at the familiarity of her neat, swirling script. No, he had definitely not gotten any of her handwriting skills.

_My dearest Luke,_

_I was so overjoyed to receive your letter and to hear that you and Asch are doing well! I do wish you'd write more often, but I know that the two of you are busy. I'm so very proud of you and of what you're doing. I know it's hard sometimes, but please remember to look out for each other, okay?_

_Christmas is so quiet without the two of you around. I decorated the tree yesterday and it took four times longer without the two of you racing to get the most ornaments up. I had to get the maids to help me or it would have taken until Christmas to finish. Your Father is absolutely lost around the manor. It's been so long since he's been around over the holidays that I don't think he's entirely sure what all the fuss is about. He sends his wishes and asks me to remind you to be good representatives of Kimlasca. I know you always are, so just keep trying your best._

_I miss you both and I can't wait until the next time you come home, but I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas. I'll be thinking of you and praying for your safety._

_With love, always._

Watching Luke read the letter saddened Asch. With every line, his sibling lost another shade of cheer until he got to the end and couldn't even hold the paper steady. Luke picked up the last item, a little golden box, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. His little brother handed him the letter, and Asch read over it quickly while Luke stared at the last token, debating if he had it in him to see what was inside.

But whatever strength he'd built up hadn't proven to be enough and Luke stared at the box's contents for what seemed like an eternity with his friends all looking on. Every muscle in his body was tense and even as he replaced the lid, Luke looked like he was ready to cry. In an unexpected burst of frustration that caught even Asch off guard, the small golden box was sent flying, crashing into the mahogany wall. Luke was gone before anyone had even realized what had happened.

"What the heck?" Anise finally managed, still staring at the spot Luke had been sitting in shock.

"I wonder..." Guy trailed off and with a nod from Asch retrieved the box Luke had discarded. A soft, almost sad chuckle escaped the blond when he saw the contents, turning the box so everyone could see.

Inside the little golden container sat what looked like a handful of black pebbles. Each was a slightly different size and shape, but someone had obviously picked them out very carefully. Along side them were two small twigs; Anise didn't think you could even find twigs that small... they couldn't be more than two inches long. What she didn't get was what the heck they were doing there.

"Well, no wonder Luke was upset," Anise was the first to break the awkward silence. "Why would your mom send him a bunch of rocks and some sticks?"

"The feeling is there," Guy replied quietly, "but it's almost cruel to Luke." Asch nodded in agreement.

"Here, I'll take it," Asch offered, replacing the lid and putting the small box in his pocket.

"What about Luke?" Tear asked worriedly.

"It's probably best to leave him be for a bit," Guy answered.

"Are you sure? If he's upset about something..."

"He'll be fine," Asch shook his head, dismissing the melodist's concerns. "He just misses home. Give him some time alone to think, he'll be alright."

"Well!" Anise piped up, mustering as much cheer as she could. "As much as I love hanging out with you guys and everything, I still have some shopping to do!"

"Oh?" Jade inquired with a spark of intrigue. "Having difficulties, are we?"

"No!" Anise protested.

"You do know you're shopping sixteen hours before its time to open gifts, right?" Asch pointed out.

"Shut up! I like the challenge!" Anise's cheeks flushed. Really... you'd think he would take her side after the Colonel got one up on them both! Stupid Asch. Anise would swear he just loved making things difficult.

"Best of luck," Jade called after her tauntingly.

"Yeah rub it in!" Anise yelled back without even turning to look at the people laughing behind her. Once around the corner, Anise couldn't resist a smile and she hurried off to Keterburg's shopping district. She had an idea now, and the results that would ensue... well that would be why the former Fon Master Guardian was now grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

The moonlight peaked out through a hole in the clouds, its silver light setting the snow banks ablaze. The freshly fallen slow glittered in the soft light just outside of Keterburg, the only markings belonging to the young noble who was working his way through it.

Luke stared at the ball of snow that sat innocently at his feet. The ball of sticky white stuff now almost made it up to his waist, and Luke couldn't help but shake his head in spite of himself. Really, what was he even doing?

"Nice nomenim you have going there," Asch said with a smirk setting his own large white snow ball on top of Luke's.

"It's a snowman, shut up." Luke sent a semi-annoyed glare at his sibling, but set a final snowball on the top all the same. The final result really didn't look like much, just a heap of snow really, though it was far less demented than the ones he'd put together as a child. Luke let himself flop back into the snowbank, the snow quickly seeping through his cloak.

"You're going to get soaked," Asch commented, leaning down over the noble who was lying in the snow.

"Whatever." Luke shrugged off the concern. He really didn't care, he liked things like this... everything was so peaceful. Asch let out a sigh. "Hey, what are you doing?" Luke demanded, sitting up when Asch flopped down in the snow next to him.

"What? You're the only one allowed to lay in the snow?" Asch asked, pretending to be offended. Luke rolled his eyes and lay back down, staring at the cloud covered heavens.

Snow began to gently drift down, the flakes dancing softly in the air before quietly settling into the existing fields and streets. The world seemed quiet, lost in the flurry of magic and wonder that seemed to embrace the world this time of year. Luke closed his eyes and drank in the moment. If he had learnt anything, it was that times like these never lasted nearly as long as he wished they would.

Asch stretched his hand out, catching one of the flakes and closing it tightly in his clasp. He brought his hand down and opened it, revealing naught but a droplet of water in his palm that dried before Asch's eyes. He smiled.

"Still feeling homesick?" Asch's question broke the silence, pinning Luke below the underlying issue. Luke took a deep breath, pondering the question, or rather, the answer to the question. He had come out here and had wandered the snow covered trails, seeking nothing more than to escape his lingering feelings. But... they still lingered, and three simple words from Asch had been enough to bring them all back. He didn't want to feel this way; he didn't want it to ruin his or anyone else's Christmas. But... it was  _Christmas_. They were supposed to spend it as a family...

"Yeah," Luke finally confessed, surprising himself by how steady his voice was. "I've never been away from home during Christmas before. I really wish there was a way we could be there... you know?"

Luke felt Asch place something into the palm of his hand, and close his fingers around it. Luke held it up above him so he could see what it was, and found a small golden box. He'd left this... A warm smile graced his face and on the inside he found the handful of small rocks and twigs from before. He looked curiously over at his sibling who had salvaged the small gift.

"It's the first time I've been away from home over Christmas too," Asch confessed, offering his little brother a comforting smile. "I miss everyone, and it makes me sad to think that they're spending Christmas alone. I wish I could be there... It's hard if you think of things that way, because there's nothing you can do to change that fact."

"But..." Luke looked over at Asch who was gazing at the heavens, his eyes lost in the endless sky above them. Asch had never made the slightest indication he was homesick, or missed everyone and Luke had been so quick to make the assumption that Asch had simply been in his place before. It hadn't once crossed his mind that they were in the same boat... that this might be Asch's first Christmas away from home too. "How... how do you do it?" Luke finally managed. "Knowing that...how can you be so happy and so strong?"

Asch looked Luke in the eyes and smiled, "Even though I'm not at home, I still have my family with me."

Time froze in that moment, their emerald eyes locked as snow continued to drift downwards. Asch was here with him, and Luke felt guilty at how easily he'd overlooked that fact. Of course he was glad to have Asch here with him! That wasn't why he'd been so upset... he was grateful. But at the same time, he thought of the things Mother had sent him, the golden bulb, the pebbles and sticks, and all he could think was that she was trying to remind him of all the wonderful Christmases they'd spent together. He wanted to be there! But...

_I'll be thinking of you..._

No... that hadn't been the point at all. Luke looked at the small golden box in his hand. Mother didn't want him to feel bad about not being at home... he just hadn't seen it before. She had sent him these things, not to make him feel guilty, but in hopes that he would think of them as well. It was like Asch said. He may not be home, but he still had his family.

"You're right," Luke sat up, shaking the snow from his cloak before pulling himself up all the way. Asch sat up and watched Luke make his way over to the snowman, who still sat without any kind of discerning features. "Mother's here too," he said with a smile as he placed the stones on his snowman.

"As long as you're thinking about her," Asch agreed, standing up himself. "I know she'll be thinking of you. As long as you both think of each other, then it doesn't matter how much distance there is between you."

Luke turned to face his sibling, the nomenim standing proudly completed behind him. "Thanks, Asch." Luke smiled.

Asch returned the smile. "That's what family is for. Now, let's get you inside before you catch something. It's getting cold out here and we'd hate to see you sick on Christmas."

Luke chuckled, "Yeah, same goes to you. You're as wet as I am." Asch simply shrugged the fact off, the mischievous light never leaving his eyes. Luke looked happily up at the heavens, a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. No matter where he was... he'd always have his family.

"You know..." Luke wondered aloud. "I wonder if they have any hot chocolate."

* * *

The fire crackled, breaking the gentle silence that had settled over the lounge. Together with the lights on the tree, its glow provided the only source of light in the now darkened room. Tear sat alone on the couch watching the lights as they danced off the ornaments that hung from the Christmas tree. Below the young fir sat an assortment of wrapped packages, each with a single name on a colourful tag labelling who the gift was for.

It had proven to be the unexpected challenge in Asch's game: getting the present under the tree without anyone being the wiser, namely the recipient. So slowly but surely the presents had 'mysteriously' appeared below the tree, though they weren't all there yet and Tear wondered who was planning to get up in the middle of the night to sneak their parcels in unnoticed. Probably Anise, Tear snickered; only Jade would spend the entire day in the lounge, undoubtedly on purpose. She suspected he was having more fun making it difficult for everyone else than being secretive himself. As if figuring out what to buy him wasn't challenge enough. Tear sighed as her eyes found the package she'd wrapped; it was a testimony to her wrapping skills... which were non-existent. That alone would probably give her away.

Tear found her thoughts drifting, happily afloat in the serenity of the room. It was getting late, and she really should be off to bed, but the melodist couldn't bring herself to leave. Everything was just so peaceful and calm, and the air held a certain magic the likes of which she'd never experienced. A soft melody jumped to her lips and the quiet song filled the room.

"That's a beautiful song." The voice startled the melodist once the last note had died off; she hadn't even noticed him there.

"Luke!" Tear replied, managing a smile for the redhead who stood in the doorway. His hair still looked wet and his clothes were different from the ones he'd had on earlier. Tear chuckled and wondered what he'd been up to in the snow. Luke returned Tear's gesture, taking the colourful package in his hand and placing it under the tree before sitting next to her on the couch.

"I've never heard that one before," Luke commented. He really loved the song Tear had just been singing which was why he didn't want to interrupt her by just walking into the room. He thought he'd heard all the Christmas songs...

"My brother used to sing it to me when I was young," Tear explained.

"Did Master Van spend Christmas with you?" Luke asked.

"When I was younger. The older I got, the less often he was around. I missed him, but most of the time Christmas would come and go without my even noticing it. Oh I'm sorry," Tear cut herself off.

"Why?"

"Well, I know you've been upset because you can't go home for Christmas and-"

Luke shook his head.

"Weren't you feeling homesick?" Tear asked confusedly.

"I was... but it's all right. Besides, I get to spend Christmas with people I care about." Luke's hand came to rest over Tear's and the melodist could feel her cheeks redden.

"Y-You really like Christmas don't you?"

"Yeah, it's always been my favourite time of year. Everyone is always together and happy... and things are just so magical."

Tear smiled in understanding as Luke spoke to her of his Christmas experiences. She knew so little of all these traditions... yet even from the past week, she could relate to so many of Luke's feelings. If she'd had times like this every year, she would undoubtedly treasure the holidays even more than she had come to over the past few days.

"What was Christmas like in Yulia City?" Luke inquired, his eyes alight with curiosity.

"There really wasn't one," Tear replied. "Most people in Yulia City don't celebrate Christmas, probably because there was never any practical way of transporting supplies and decorations down from the Outer Lands. The supply routes to Yulia City are full just bringing food and other things needed for survival. The effort required was never thought to be worth it for something so frivolous. So... this is the first real Christmas I've ever had," she sheepishly admitted.

"And?"

"It's everything I could have dreamed of and more."

Luke sighed, almost sadly. "I really wish I had drawn your name," he confessed. "I really wanted to get you something special."

"It's fine," Tear smiled. "You already have."

The young noble eyed her with a look akin to confusion before chuckling, "You're weird."

He really did have the most amazing green eyes, the thought crossed Tear's mind as she watched the lights reflected in their emerald depths. Right now, in this moment, all the world's problems became inconsequential, and Tear wished for nothing more than for it to last forever.

Luke's expression shifted, a realization suddenly dawning on him and his cheeks flushed. Tear felt his hand close, now gently cradling her own. Hesitantly Luke leaned in, pausing a moment in which Tear could feel his warm breath against the side of her face, before giving the melodist a kiss on the cheek.

Now Tear  _knew_  she was several shades of red.

"Wh-What was that for?" Tear managed to demand, her hand covering the cheek where Luke had just- had just...  _kissed_  her.

Luke smiled almost apologetically, still pink from his recent bout of impulsiveness. "Jade still hasn't taken down that mistletoe," he pointed out with a quick glance upward.

Tear looked up; Luke was right, above them still hung a seemingly innocent sprig of green leaves and white berries. She flushed further at the oversight. The young redhead stood up and made his way towards the door, to join his companions who were already in bed.

Just before leaving, Luke turned around and offered the melodist one final smile.

"Merry Christmas."

Tear still held her cheek, watching as Luke vanished from the doorway.

"Merry Christmas... Luke."


	3. Part 3

Luke's eyes cracked open, not surprised to find it dark in his room. He rolled over, but hesitated a moment before turning the lamp on. The upside to not having to share a room was that you didn't have to worry about waking anyone else up; not that it was a familiar problem... Luke tended to be the one  _woken_  up, especially when he shared a room with Jade. Luke decided against the bedside light, instead lying there a moment and allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark.

A smile slowly worked it's way across Luke's face, until he was successfully grinning from ear to ear. A burst of energy and excitement washed over him and the younger redhead sat up. There was no way he could just sit in bed... it was Christmas!

A hand reached over to the night stand, searching for the brush he knew was there. Natalia used to tease him about having a comb sitting so readily beside his bed, but she didn't see the mess his long red hair could get itself into during the course of the night. In its wandering, he came upon something; it had a familiar texture but was most definitely not the object of his search.

Luke smiled as he picked up the wrapped package, wondering when Asch had managed to sneak it into room. Sometimes it scared him just how alike the two of them thought. Connection or not, they had both gone and broken the rules, getting each other a present. Luke snickered; they even put it in the same spot for the other to find when they woke up. Not that there was really anywhere else well-suited to put it; at least, not that they'd find. Still, it left Luke with a warm feeling inside.

Setting the gift aside to open later and avoid the trouble Jade would likely cause them, Luke pulled himself from bed. He debated waking the little cheagle who was asleep on the pillow next to him, but decided against it. Mieu was still young, as far as cheagles went, so he probably needed the sleep. So after yanking a brush through his unruly hair, he quietly worked his way down to the lounge.

What had been a roaring fire the night before was now nothing more than ashes and a few glowing embers. Still, relighting them didn't prove to be difficult as the youngest redhead tossed some wood in the fireplace, and soon enough the flames were burning with all their former glory. Luke smiled, sitting on the carpet and allowing the blaze to chase away the coolness of the morning that had seeped into the building.

The lights on the Christmas tree still glittered, hovering protectively over nine neatly wrapped, colourful packages that sat below them. A quick glance out the window told Luke it would be a couple hours before the sun peaked up over the horizon, but he was content to wait. To wait and watch and wonder, just as he had for so many years before.

"Up before everyone else again I see," Asch's voice broke the sound of the steadily crackling fire.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Seven years, and you've yet to sleep past sunrise."

"Neither have you," Luke shot back.

"Yeah well, it's hard to sleep when  _someone_  is very much awake and excited."

"Nuh-uh, our fon slots were not synched last Christmas. You can't use that as an excuse."

"Yeah, whatever." Asch sat down on the floor beside Luke, playfully ruffling his sibling's hair.

"Stop that!" Luke shouted, then bit back any further protests. He hadn't meant to be that loud; it

wouldn't do to wake everyone else up. If there was one thing he'd learnt over the years it was this: it was all fine and well for them to get up early, but others did  _not_  appreciate being forced to conform to their sleep schedule on Christmas.

"Could the two of you  _be_  any louder?" Anise remarked from the doorway.

"Yep, why? Do you want us to be?" Anise rolled her eyes at Luke's reply.

"You too excited to sleep too?" Asch asked. "You're in the same boat as Luke here."

"Hey!" the redhead in question protested.

"No!" Anise argued, her cheeks puffed up. "I'm only up because the two of you are making such a racket! Do you know what time it is?"

"No," Asch answered with a smirk. "But I do know that your room is the furthest away from the lounge. If we haven't woken Jade up, there's no way we woke you up."

Anise grumbled something inaudible as Luke and Asch both snickered, but she accepted Luke's invitation to come sit with them near the fire.

"So...uh..." Anise broke the silence. "What do you do while waiting for everyone to get up?"

"We wait," Luke answered simply.

"That's it? Isn't that boring? I mean, I'd think it would be easier to just sleep in if all you do is sit and stare at the fire."

"We talk," Asch said softly, still entranced by the atmosphere that Christmas morning always created. "Tell stories, chat about small stuff, anything you want really; we just enjoy the quiet of the morning together."

Anise smiled and Luke was the first to offer a story. She was starting to understand, little by little why they loved Christmas so much. It was the times like these that they got to share together, and just be with each other that seemed so special. Soon Anise found herself offering tales of Christmases in Daath, little things, memories she'd cherished without even realizing it. Who knew, maybe it was the fact that they were keeping their voices down, or maybe it was the fact that the only light was coming from the fire's glow and the lights on the tree, but something about this room just filled her with warmth and excitement. There was no explanation for it; she'd talked with Asch and Luke thousands of times, but everything they shared just made her feel so much closer to them. Anise didn't really like the word, but it was the only one that came to mind and it fit beyond all shadow of a doubt. Something about this morning was just... magical.

The next person to join them was Guy who showed up about a half hour after Anise had. He smirked, claiming something like his internal clock was skewed having to get up with Asch and Luke all these years. Better than her excuse, but they definitely didn't buy it. After him, everyone slowly began to join them, adding their own stories and experiences to the conversation until well after the sun had risen. Mieu's stories about cheagle celebrations were actually kind of interesting, but it was Ginji's tales of Aston, Iemon and Tamara on Christmas morning that had proven to be the funniest.

Jade was the last person to join them and, besides being the only person not still in his pyjamas, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that his absence up until now was entirely on purpose. Jade never slept past sunrise...  _ever_. Anise glared at him; he had probably been sitting in his room, which happened to be right next to the lounge, and spent his time listening to them all putting up with Luke's growing impatience.

Even once he'd finally sat down, he joined in on their conversation leaving the younger redhead bouncing in anticipation as they continued to discuss frivolous things. Anise really couldn't resist a snicker, she could see the appeal in Jade's game. She was starting to get curious as to how long they could go before Luke had a complete breakdown.

"Well then," Jade adjusted his glasses after another half hour of discussions. "I think we've tortured Luke long enough. Shall we get around to opening presents?"

"All right!" Luke cheered, earning him a laugh from everyone else.

"And let the guessing begin!" Anise declared, her own excitement overflowing. Thinking back on it, she had no idea where her previous patience had come from.

"Oh that's right," Natalia realized. "It's the last part of our gift exchange."

"Exactly!" Anise replied. "Man, I feel so bad for whoever had to buy for you, Colonel!"

Half the heads in the room turned at her statement. "You mean, it wasn't you?" Asch asked incredulously.

"Me? No!" she answered, shaking her head. "My person was bad enough, I couldn't imagine having to buy for the Colonel!"

"I think you'd better open yours first, Jade," Guy said with a nervous chuckle. "Or else the suspense just might kill Asch." Asch snapped to attention, stopping his eyes from their scrupulous analysis of everyone else, but it didn't spare him the laughter that echoed through the room.

Tear passed Jade the package with his name on it, and he gratefully accepted it. He carefully weighed the present, examining the angles and gently shook it; his analysis trying even the melodist's patience. Just open it already! But as carefully as he'd examined the gift, he utilized an equal amount of diligence in opening it, successfully extracting the box without tearing the paper once.

"Ah..." A glimmer of delight danced in Jade's ruby eyes as he held up the bottle of wine. "From St. Binah's vineyards. The year was a bit sweeter than most, and not quite to my taste." The Necromancer picked up the second item from the box, flipping through the book on the many wines from around the world. In spite of his words, he was clearly impressed and quite pleased with what he received. "Never-the-less, thank you, Luke."

" _What?_ " Asch almost shouted in disbelief, everyone's gaze turning in amazement at the second redhead. "You mean  _you_  had Jade all this time?"

"Yeah," Luke confessed, somewhat amused at everyone's reactions. He was just glad that Jade had liked it, he had been so worried about the gift he'd finally decided upon.

"Not to put a damper on things or anything, but..." Guy began, "Luke, how did you pull  _that_  one off? You're not even of age yet, there's no way anyone would let you buy wine."

"I actually got Emperor Peony to help me," Luke admitted. "I knew Jade liked good wine, so Peony helped me out. He also helped me figure out what kind Jade would like the best."

"Yes, his Majesty was always rather fond of St. Binah's wine," Jade commented, setting the bottle down next to his chair and taking a closer look at the book Luke had bought him, his eyes scanning the pages at impossible speeds.

"Here, Tear," Ginji picked up the parcel closest to him and passed it over to the person whose name was on the tag. Jade put down his book, returning his attention to the proceedings before him. There was still plenty of interest that remained below the tree, disguised by colourful paper and ribbons.

Tear opened a large stuffed bear, and in spite of her best attempts to hide it (not that anyone knew why she still tried at this point, they all knew she had a weakness for anything cute; bonus points if it was fluffy and could be cuddled), was thrilled at the present. She clutched it's soft brown fur tightly, lost in a burst of delight before realizing everyone was watching her, at which point her face turned red. But everyone laughed and Tear's embarrassment quickly gave way to contentment, joining in her friend's mirth.

The teddy bear, which had already been named "Fluffy", sat on Tear's lap as she eyed her friends, trying to determine the person who had so carefully picked him out.

"Natalia," Tear concluded.

"No, it wasn't me," the Princess smiled, nodding her head towards the person sitting next to her.

"Asch?" Tear's cheeks gained a shade of pink. Of all the people to know to buy her something cute... Asch's grin confirmed her guess. Tear's face hid behind Fluffy and everyone chuckled in amusement.

More than eager to get the attention away from her, Tear passed Ion his gift. Ion tried, but proved himself incapable of the delicacy with which Jade had opened his present and eventually tore the wrapping paper. Ion's gift caught more than a few of them off guard as the Fon Master pulled out a pair of binoculars. Luke smiled; he didn't think anyone else had noticed...

"Anise?" Ion guessed, but his former guardian shook her head, confused as anyone else by the present.

"That one is from me," Natalia spoke up when Ion had given up. "You're quite difficult to buy for, especially when you're shopping with me," she teased.

"I never even noticed," Ion confessed.

"It was while you were fetching your gift," Natalia explained.

"But why binoculars?" Anise asked.

"So he can watch the birds in Daath, or anywhere else," Luke provided. He'd noticed how much Ion loved watching the birds that flittered around when they walked through the wilderness, and was amazed that Natalia had made the same observation. Ion smiled at his friends' perceptiveness. It was something he'd never voiced, but truly did enjoy.

Ginji went next, opening a cushion for his seat in the Albiore. Tear was only further embarrassed when the pilot identified her on his first guess. She was sure her poor wrapping job had given her away, but Ginji pointed out it was, in fact, the frills on the cushion. Guy was as perceptive as Ginji, easily picking out the pilot as the one who had gotten him the tool set. After all, no one else knew fon machines well enough to get him the right set of tools, or to know which ones were the best quality.

With Guy in a corner, already playing with his new toys, Natalia accepted her present and like Jade had, carefully weighed it in her hands. It wasn't overly heavy... she shook it. Really, the princess had no idea why she always bothered with her careful analysis of her gifts when she could just open it and find out... but something about the anticipation only added to the experience.

Asch's heart absolutely sank when he saw Natalia pull out an apron and a set of oven mitts. Of all the things... who in their right mind would give her that?

"Guy," Natalia guessed.

"Not me," Guy answered, as nervous as Asch felt about her present. No it was definitely not anyone who could be regularly subjected to the cooking she was bound to want to do with her new gift.

"Me!" Anise stated proudly. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to buy for a princess? It took me forever to come up with an idea! That was the only thing I could think of that I  _knew_  you didn't already have."

"Thank you, Anise." Natalia held up the matching oven mitts, placing one of them on to get a feel for them. "I've always wanted a set, but no one ever seemed to get me some. Now I'll be able to bake Asch birthday cake!" She said with a smile at her fiancé. The redhead forcefully returned the smile. Today was Christmas so she was safe... but Anise was so dead later.

"Master! Master!" Mieu excitedly bounced over to Luke, trying to hide something behind him. "I got you something really special too! I did!"

"What's that?" Luke inquired, still trying to get his snickers under control. He really shouldn't be laughing; no doubt Natalia would force him to eat some of that cake too, but he allowed Mieu to distract him from imagining the consequences that would ensue.

"Surprise!" Mieu pulled out an apple from behind his back.

"Thank you, Mieu," Luke smiled, accepting the small red fruit. He looked it over carefully and set it beside him, making a mental note to return it to the kitchen it was likely stolen from later. It was the thought that counted, and Luke ruffled the blue fur on the cheagle's head affectionately.

"Only three left to go," Luke commented grabbing the nearest package, flipping over the tag to read the name. "Your turn," he smiled and handed the parcel to his sibling.

Asch was never much one for preserving the paper that bound his gifts and it didn't take him long to get at the box inside. The eldest redhead held the package before him, more curious then ever as to what could possibly be inside. It was impossibly light, and the box itself was small. Asch removed the lid, spotting against the red tissue paper, what looked like two metal bars. One shined, with all the lustre of a new crafted instrument, but the other was worn, showing the years it had lived through.

> " _Wow! That's really cool Guy!" The eight-year-old redhead's eyes sparkled in excitement._
> 
> " _What do you want, Luke?" The blond snapped back, annoyed at being interrupted yet again. Honestly, was it that much to ask for a break?_
> 
> " _What is that you're playing?" Luke continued curiously, oblivious to his attendant's irritation._
> 
> " _It's a harmonica."_
> 
> " _It's really awesome, you're good!" Guy rolled his eyes at his charge's admiration. Of course he was fascinated, for Score knows what reason Luke had gotten himself into music lately and given the fact that he didn't have time to learn anything with all his other lessons, Guy had to put up with his fussing and whining. He was such a spoiled brat._
> 
> " _Can you show me how?"_
> 
> " _You're not allowed, you know that." Guy shot, taking advantage of the low blow, and was satisfied to see the hurt look on Luke's face._
> 
> " _Well then can I try... just once?"_
> 
> " _No."_
> 
> " _Then... would you play some for me? You play really well, it sounds so pretty."_
> 
> "
> 
> _No! Just go away Luke!"_

"Why are you giving this to me?" Asch asked, his query directed solely at Guy.

"Wow, well he sure knew who it was," Anise commented. Seriously... what was with him and the Colonel? Asch didn't even think about it!

"It's something I figured you would have wanted," Guy answered simply.

Asch smiled fondly. "You're an idiot."

"What is it?" Luke asked, leaning over his sibling's shoulder.

Asch picked up the instrument and blew into it, a single note ringing pure and clean throughout the room. "It's a harmonica," the redhead answered.

"Wow! That's cool!" Luke's eyes lit up. "But... why are there two of them?"

Asch and Guy both smiled, but neither of them answered.

"Who's next? Who's next?" Anise asked eagerly.

Natalia grabbed one of the two remaining presents from beneath the tree. "Luke."

"Darn," Anise grumbled as Natalia handed the young noble his gift. Her disappointment was short lived, and like everyone else, she eagerly watched Luke unwrap his present. It actually surprised her, Anise expected it to be really hard to watch everyone else open their presents, but just seeing how happy all of her friends were made her happy too. It was just as exciting to see their reactions as it was anticipating what she might get... maybe even more so. Because in the end, Christmas was about seeing everyone else happy, right? That's why you gave presents in the first place, to make them as happy as they made you.

Luke's present was the smallest of all the packages to be found under the tree, but his excitement was in no way proportional to the size of his gift. His eagerness was only temporarily hindered by his inability to get into the small box and Asch was doing his utmost not to let himself be reduced to stitches. Other than the fact that his little brother had been foiled by four pieces of tape, it wasn't really all that funny; but the warmth and mirth that had seeped throughout the room had instilled itself in them all and really, Asch couldn't think of a time they'd all been happier. Everyone laughed as Luke let out an exasperated sigh, and gave in, going to fetch a dagger from his room when he just couldn't get into the box. Even with the knife Luke was having some trouble and Asch watched in wonder as his sibling finally succeeded at opening the box. Just what kind of tape did he use?

The charm hung on the end of a small chain, and Luke held it up in awe. The stone set in the center was surrounded by a gold frame and flashed a rainbow of colours as it caught the sunlight. Luke watched it turn, catching the light every few seconds and just couldn't avert his fascination. It was so pretty!

"That's fonimin," Tear commented also somewhat entranced by the object in Luke's hands.

"Isn't fonimin that stuff they need for fomicry?" Anise asked.

"Yes," the melodist replied. "Because the existing supplies are mostly used in fomicry research, not much is available for charms and jewellery even though it's such a pretty stone. It's quite a rare charm that is believed to protect travellers."

"Actually, that legend stems from it's use in fomicry," Jade explained. "Fonimin has been postulated to stabilize the Seventh Fonons in the replication process and, as such, is used to protect replicas from degrading after their creation. So in essence, it's a stone used to protect replicas. It was likely extrapolated to include the common-folk by the jewellers that made charms out of it."

"Wow!" Luke held his gift with an even deeper sense of awe. "Thanks Ion!"

Ion looked startled that he had been so easily singled out but a quickly replaced it with a smile. "You're welcome, Luke."

"Hey, Ion, what kind of tape did you use?" Luke asked as he set the charm back in its case. Soon enough it would find a home attached to his sword, but for now it was probably safer in the box... assuming Luke could get it open a second time.

"I apologize for that, I didn't intend for it to be difficult," Ion sheepishly admitted. "I just borrowed some tape from Jade."

"That would do it." Asch rolled his eyes. Why was he not surprised?

"I guess that leaves just one present," Guy commented eyeing the last box beneath the tree.

"Well, we have Luke who bought for Jade," Asch began. "I bought for Tear, Tear for Ginji, Ginji for Guy, Anise for Natalia, Natalia for Ion, Ion for Luke, and Guy for me. That means the only person left would be..."

Everyone's head simultaneously turned towards the Colonel who had a smirk on his face.

"Jade," Luke concluded, voicing everyone's thoughts.

Anise stared at her gift with a good deal more caution than before and Natalia couldn't honestly say she blamed her. She'd be a bit hesitant receiving a gift from Jade as well. There really was no saying what went through his head at any given time, and he had proven himself to be quite devious in his ways. Really, the only thing scarier than having to buy him something... was getting something  _from_  him.

But all reservations aside, Anise claimed the lonely gift and sat cross legged, balancing the sparkling box, her determined gaze staring down the bow that sat on top. No good, she had no idea. What in all of Auldrant could the Colonel have gotten her?

The box under the wrapping paper was plain and gave no indication of what its contents might be. Anise was determined to get into it without resorting to any kind of tools and Luke was in stitches watching her. Just you wait, she'd show him up! But in the end it was a failure. Just what the heck did Jade do, cement it shut?

Finally Anise conceded defeat, accepted the dagger Luke had used and cut through the cement tape. In a burst of eagerness, she flipped the box over and tore off the lid. Luke's amusement at her antics died when whatever she found inside stopped her in her tracks.

Anise's hands were shaking as she reached in the box and pulled out a hand-made doll. It wore a simple pink dress with white lace along the bottom. Two brown buttons glistened on its face partially hidden by the black yarn bangs that fell in its face. In the doll's hands was a single candy cane, and the rest of her black hair was pulled back and fastened by two barrettes, the kind with the glass beads on the end, at the center of which sat two pink flowers.

Anise clutched the doll burying her face in its dress to hide her tears.

"Are you going to be okay, Anise?" Ion asked hesitantly as she continued to sob into her doll.

"Of- Of course I'm going to be okay!" she managed. "This is the- the best Christmas I've ever had!" Her sobbing began with renewed intensity and Ion rubbed her back comfortingly.

A smile swept through the group; and, while the fire still roared in the background, they all had to concede that Jade had won their little game.

Luke sat on the floor, his present still cradled in his hands, and his friends all around him. For times like these, he could never find the words to describe them, but he would treasure the memories all the same. Christmas was still far from over, and he didn't doubt that the rest of the day, just like the next year, would bring happiness and even more cherished memories.

"Merry Christmas everyone."

Luke's friends all turned to face him, light in their smiles and the same warmth in their hearts.

"Merry Christmas."


End file.
